There is described and claimed in applicant's co-pending Israel patent application 63437, which formed the priority basis for our U.S. application Ser. No. 383,214 filed May 28, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,694 apparatus for clearing mines which overcomes the difficulties and disadvantages of conventional prior art mine clearing techniques and apparatus and which comprises a frame mountable onto a vehicle for selectable positioning in a raised or lowered orientation, apparatus for raising and shunting aside mines mounted onto the frame; and apparatus for selectably retaining the frame in a raised orientation and comprising control apparatus operable from inside the vehicle for releasing the frame from the raised orientation and allowing it to assume the lowered orientation.
There is also described and claimed in applicant's co-pending Israel patent application 64023, which formed the priority basis for our U.S. application Ser. No. 383,213 filed May 28, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,053, apparatus for clearing mines comprising a frame mountable onto a vehicle for selectable positioning in a raised or lowered orientation, plow apparatus for raising and shunting aside mines mounted onto the frame and apparatus for automatically raising the plow from its lowered orientation to its raised orientation in response to backwards motion of the vehicle and including mounting apparatus rotatably mounted onto the vehicle, spring supporting apparatus mounted onto the mounting apparatus and attached to the plow apparatus; and tooth apparatus fixed onto the mounting apparatus and arranged for selectable engagement with the vehicle tread, the spring supporting apparatus being operative when the plow is in its lowered orientation to urge the tooth apparatus into driven engagement with the vehicle tread whereby during backwards movement of the vehicle the mounting apparatus rotates in a first direction, thereby extending the length of the spring supporting apparatus, and increasing the spring force thereof until a spring force is reached at a first position of the mounting apparatus sufficient to raise the plow to its raised orientation. Continued rotation of the mounting apparatus raises the plow until it engages a retaining hook, and is held stationary.